Who Is Affected by Alzheimer’s Disease?

Alzheimer’s is the fifth leading cause of death in people 65 and older.

Death from Alzheimer’s rose 46.1% from 2000 to 2006 .

54% of the U.S. population has been touched in some way by Alzheimer’s disease.

Approximately 454,000 people will develop Alzheimer’s in 2010.

At current rates, 19 million Americans will have Alzheimer’s by the year 2050.

Alzheimer’s is not only a social burden, but an economic one as well. The financial cost of caring for someone with Alzheimer’s disease can be overwhelming. It is estimated that in 2010, Alzheimer’s will cost more than $172 billion in health care, long-term care, and hospice services. More than 10.9 million people are providing unpaid care for a loved one with Alzheimer’s. When indirect costs are taken into account (such as lost wages and decreased productivity of people with Alzheimer’s and their caregivers), the annual cost rises astronomically – high enough to potentially bankrupt the nation’s entire health care system.